Despite devastating storm Acapulco focuses on brighter future

Christine Delsol, Special to SFGate

Published 7:31 pm, Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Although a recent storm, considered the worst ever to hit Mexico, caused destructive flooding in Acapulco, the city is looking to the future with the opening of the House of Winds cultural center. The property was Diego Rivera's final home, owned by his longtime friend and reputed lover Dolores Olmedo.
Photo: Credit Acapulco DMO

Although a recent storm, considered the worst ever to hit Mexico,...

Acapulco is looking to the House of Winds to spark a turnaround on the city's long and bumpy road.
Photo: Credit Acapulco DMO

Acapulco is looking to the House of Winds to spark a turnaround on...

Although the natural setting is stunning, Acapulco has faced fierce competition from Los Cabos and Cancun when trying to attract tourist attention.
Photo: Credit Acapulco DMO

Although the natural setting is stunning, Acapulco has faced fierce...

The emphasis on cultural offerings is just the latest in a concerted effort to turn Acapulco's image around on the strength of its history as Mexico's original beach resort.
Photo: Credit Acapulco DMO

The emphasis on cultural offerings is just the latest in a...

The House of Winds' most famous feature is its collection of Rivera's last six murals, all fully restored. Rivera's final work is the facade's mosaic with the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl.
Photo: Credit Acapulco DMO

The House of Winds' most famous feature is its collection of...

Other figures around the serpent god image include a frog, referencing Olmedo's pet name for Rivera.
Photo: Credit Acapulco DMO

Other figures around the serpent god image include a frog,...

Another close-up of the Rivera's last work.
Photo: Credit Acapulco DMO

Another close-up of the Rivera's last work.

Acapulco also joined with Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo (pictured) and Taxco last year to market themselves to international tourists as the Sun Triangle, emphasizing both its cultural offerings and a "365 days of sun" guarantee.
Photo: Credit Acapulco DMO

Acapulco also joined with Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo (pictured) and Taxco...

Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, along with Acapulco and Taxco, is part of the Sun Triangle, which promises tourists a "365 days of sun" guarantee.
Photo: Credit Acapulco DMO

Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, along with Acapulco and Taxco, is part of the...

A sunset along a beach in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo.
Photo: Credit Acapulco DMO

A sunset along a beach in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo.

Landmark locations throughout Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo are being rehabilitated as part of new efforts to market the Sun Triangle.
Photo: Reo, Credit Acapulco DMO

Acapulco, whose fortunes have waxed and waned drastically since it became Mexico's first international beach resort, sustained another blow from disastrous September floods inflicted by what is being called the worst storm ever to hit Mexico. But the city has something to celebrate again this fall with the opening of the House of Winds Cultural Center.

Master muralist Diego Rivera, probably Mexico's most famous artist, spent his final years at the House of Winds, the Acapulco home of his longtime friend and reputed lover, Dolores Olmedo. Olmedo's hacienda in Mexico City's Xochimilco district is famous for its collection of nearly 150 works from throughout Rivera's career and an extensive collection of Frida Kahlo's art (not to mention its hairless Xoloitzcuintle dogs, descended from her own beloved pooches).

Last summer, Mexico's National Council of Culture and Arts and the Carlos Slim Foundation bought the mansion, which sits on a cliff overlooking La Quebrada of cliff-divers fame, to become a cultural center. Guerrero Gov. Angel Aguirre Rivero, announcing the acquisition, said it was "one of many efforts being made in Acapulco's Traditional Zone and aims to promote the destination's cultural offerings that will benefit both locals and travelers alike."

The House of Winds' most famous feature is its collection of Rivera's last six murals, all fully restored. His final work, created in 1956 while he was dying of cancer, is the facade's mosaic with the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl. Other figures around this central image include a frog, referencing Olmedo's pet name for him, and a hammer and sickle, expressing his belief in communism.

The House of Winds Cultural Center opened to the public in September and recently opened a special photography exhibit, "Francisco Tario's Nights," based on the late Mexican novelist's dark tales. It runs through early November. The center's official grand opening is scheduled for November, when it will feature a unique Frida Kahlo exhibit in conjunction with France's Georges Pompidou Center. The interactive exhibit is geared toward younger visitors, introducing children to Kahlo's life and work through various activities. In the future, it will host films, theater, dance, special art exhibits and other special events.

Acapulco is looking to the House of Winds to spark a turnaround on the city's long and bumpy road. The roller-coaster ride began when the future King Edward VIII visited in 1920, prompting a stream of vacationing Europeans. The hotels and businesses of today's Old Acapulco followed, and the first commercial wharf and warehouses were built in the 1940s, becoming a major port in the 1950s. America discovered Acapulco in the 1950s, when Liz and Dick adopted it as their favorite getaway, and it became the place to see and be seen.

The setting was a natural, with nearly 4 miles of sands fringing the wide blue crescent of Acapulco bay and mountains embracing the city — a perfect backdrop for candlelight dining. But the glitter dimmed as Cancun and Los Cabos were created in the 1970s, and Acapulco hosted primarily Mexican tourists. It managed to refurbish its image as a center of fashion, design and glamorous nightlife — only to be stricken in recent years by bouts of highly visible drug-cartel violence.

The emphasis on cultural offerings is just the latest in a concerted effort to turn Acapulco's image around on the strength of its history as Mexico's original beach resort. To ease visitors' wariness, the state launched the Guerrero Seguro program, which reduced crime by more than 50 percent in six months through tactical analysis, crisis management and negotiation in cooperation with federal police. The state also has invested in new police equipment and training in advanced security techniques.

Hotels such as the Boca Chica from the groundbreaking Habita group, the Grand Hotel and the Hotel Emporio have undergone major transformations, and the city is investing $200 million in refurbishing downtown Acapulco. That effort includes including renovating Escenica Avenue, a Macrotunnel connecting the Navy Base-Playa Icacos area to the Diamond Zone, improving the port's embarkation and debarkation walkways, widening downtown sidewalks and creating a new, modern transportation system called ACABus.

On the drawing boards are a Center for Biodiversity and an entertainment plaza for the Caleta and Caletilla beach areas that will have a movie theater, gourmet market, traditional zocalo and outdoor shopping plaza. Construction is nearing completion on EXPO Mundo Imperial, a resort complex with an 800-suite hotel, open-air promenade and spa. A concert hall, the Forum at Mundo Imperial, is already open, presenting weekly musical and theatrical shows.

Acapulco also joined with Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Taxco last year to market themselves to international tourists as the Sun Triangle, emphasizing both its cultural offerings and a "365 days of sun" guarantee.

Taxco is embarking on a "Taxco, City of Lights" project, installing illumination on temples, plazas, streets and alleyways to turn the hilltop silver city into a veritable Christmas tree. Landmark locations throughout Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo are being rehabilitated, and cruise passengers will have their choice of new ecological tours, from whale watching to sea turtle preservation to visiting a crocodile sanctuary.

These efforts may well come to fruition as Acapulco works through the aftermath of September's deadly storm, hastening its recovery as an appealing tourist destination.

Note: The State Department travel warning of July 12 advises caution in Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa but does not recommend against traveling there. Taxco is not included in the warning.